Moonlight
by Echo101
Summary: 2 words: Twilight rewritten.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N In no way am I a Twilight fan. I'm just trying to rewrite the book.**

I said, and pulled on my brown hair. Twisting it about a finger, I glanced around the plane. 24 hours since my mom had sent me to my dad. I swallowed the lump in my throat. My mom was the only thing I've ever had. Starting over was a whole new concept.

I loved Phoenix, why did I have to go. It's not fair! I felt tears welling in my eyes. I shut my eyes. No, I was not going to cry in front of my father. I've never even seen him. I sighed and glanced out the window. The man next to me coughed.

I raised my eyebrow, and then paused my iPod. "Could you keep it down please?" He hissed at me, trying to stay silent.

"Whatever." I replied, then went back to flipping through the magazine I'd found in the pocket of the seat in front of me. I felt the plane descending. I swallowed. It hadn't seemed real until this moment. The moment when the plane started going down.

I figured I'd leave my mother sooner or later. It was just a matter of her, my dad, or child protection services. Then Phil, or whatever his name was, moved in and stole my mom. She was…_different._ She stopped caring about me.

Then she sent me to some town called…Spoons? Knives? I'll remember later.

* * *

><p>I pulled my luggage into the Seattle parking lot. It was cold out. And wet. A lone man stood next to a pick-up truck. It was dark and the lights glowed eerily. He saw me and immediately stamped out the cigarette that he was smoking.<p>

"Isabella." He smiled at me as I walked over to him. I examined him. This was my dad, the chief police officer of…Forks! That was the name of the prison-er, town. "You've grown taller. And your hair was darker. You were about…3 when I last saw you."

"Hi." I couldn't think of anything to say. What was I supposed to say? _Hey dad, thanks for not being there for 12 years. Hope you're well._ There was a really awkward silence. "Um…it's cold." I said feebly.

He glanced at my clothes critically. "You're not dressed for Washington."

I smiled ruefully. "To tell the truth, I was kinda hoping for this to be a dream." I saw his face fall. "I mean," I said hastily, "'Cause this is amazing. You know, the kind of move in the movies. Now all I've gotta do is what for the perfect guy."

He laughed. He saw right through the lie. "Yeah. This isn't anything like Phoenix. It's all wet."

"And green." I added. I grinned back. He lifted my bags into the back.

"So…excited for school?" He asked me, his eyes on the road.

"Why would I be excited. It'll probably be different from Phoenix's school."

"What high school did you go to?"

"Sand Creek High School. We were the rattlesnakes." I shook my head. "God, I hated that. We had to hiss every time our team made a goal. It was mortifying."

He laughed. "Here, you're the pine trees."

"The pine trees?" I asked in shock. "That's worse than the rattlesnakes."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." I laughed along with him, and I thought that maybe, this wouldn't be so bad after all.


	2. Chapter 2

So, here I was, Forks High School. It wasn't that bad. A girl named Jessica talked to me for a while. She said she wanted to help me around to the classes. All of the guys stared at me, in kinda creepy way. Jessica said it was because I was the new girl. She said it was all about first impressions, and if I showed myself a nerd, no one would date me.

Whatever. Like I need relationship problems. I'm too busy trying to figure out where my classes are. For a small town, it's a big high school. It was a relief when lunch came. I'm pretty sure the Geometry teacher hates my guts. I guess it was 'cause I walked in the middle of her class.

I was going to go sit in my "loner" corner, but Jessica dragged me over to her friends. I swear, there is something wrong with that girl. No one can stay that bubbly and perky for that long.

"Hi!" Jessica chirped to her friends. She pulled me out of the shadows. "This is Bella, the new girl." There were a smattering of hey's and hi's. I glanced around shyly, then sat down as soon as Jessica let go of my arm. I glanced around the cafeteria.

The jocks were at the center table, no surprise there. The cheerleaders were there too. Jessica should be one of them, I mused. I felt a pair of eyes on me. I turned, and found myself staring into a pair of golden-black ones. It was a moment, but the face curled into a smile. Not a friendly smile, just an amused one, like the face had read my thoughts.

Speaking of thoughts, Jessica interrupted mine as she pointed out the boy. "Edward Cullen." She said, giving me a warning look. "He doesn't date."

"He's hot though." One of Jessica's friends insisted. This friend wasn't completely correct. He was nice looking, I suppose. He had black straight hair and an angled face. He was slender, not skinny. He wore a leather jacket, white shirt, and black jeans, like he was some slick goth. Of course, he had not piercings or tattoos. If he put blue highlights in his hair, he might look a little nicer. What ruined his nice-lookingness was his expression. He looked as if he had dung underneath his nose. Some girls might like the whole "hard-to-get" bad boy type, but not me.

She flipped her hair. "He's hot." She started scornfully. "He just won't date. He wants to make all the girls in the school jealous or something."

"Right." I bit into my sandwich. I glanced over at the table he sat at. There were four others. Two of them were holding on to each other and making out with each other like complete idiots. They were hot, I admitted grudgingly, but they acted like they would die if their lips weren't attached. The other two just sat there silently. They held hands underneath the table, but they acted like showing emotion was weak. I toyed with the idea of them being baron and baroness.

I glanced at Edward once again. He just stared right back into my eyes. He shrugged his shoulders as if to say that they were terrible too. I blinked, and then glared at him. I turned my back on him. He creeped me out.

Oh yay. Biology. Whatever. I'll live. I practically ran to the back of the room. If I had to go through the new student speech one more time, I'd scream. Oh great. Edward Sullen is there. He glanced at me, then froze. I looked at him quizzically. Maybe he had a seizure condition or something.

He swallowed, and pretty much all the girls in the class gave me death stares. Wonderful, all the girls hate me. Just what I need. I sat down and decided to ignore him. Best course of action. That was what they taught us in elementary. Ignore people when they bother you.

His lips started twitching. I have no idea why. Yep, I'm just going to raise my hand and announce loudly that Edward is having a seizure. A chuckle escaped me. Just my luck to sit next to the spoiled brat of the school. Who apparently has a seizure problem.

"I don't have a seizure problem." Deadward managed to get out between gritted teeth. I looked at him in surprise. What the hell? I thought again. Duh, he must do this all the time, so he must get awkward questions about it all the time. But seriously, the kid looked dead. Up close, he had dark circles underneath his eyes, and his eyes. That's what scared me the most. His eyes had this hunger in it. Like he was some sort of ancient monster out to get people's blood.

I spent the rest of the period doodling on my notebook. I jumped when the bell rang, but Edward bolted like a cheetah. I blinked. How did he run so fast?

I shook my head. At least the first day of school wasn't _that_ bad.


	3. Chapter 3

The road looked like it had a little ice on it, but nothing major. I could drive my truck. I parked in the parking lot like usual, then turned to get my stuff out of the back. There were sudden screams and I turned around. I didn't have time to see anything before I was pushed down. Hard. I blacked out for a second.

"Quiet." A voice hissed. It sounded like Deadward's. "Don't call me that." He hissed again. Oops. Must've said it out loud. "You didn't say anything."

That was when I noticed he was lying on top of me. "Dude, get off." I hissed back.

"Quiet." He repeated. He paused for a moment while I examined the ground.

"Look, I'm sorry I called you Deadward. Now will you _get off of me?_" I would've yelled the last part, but his hand muffled the words.

"Shut up!" He responded. "You are in more danger than you can imagine."

I nearly bit his hand, but that was when I noticed the noise. It was the noise of sirens and crying. "What's going on?" I asked.

Deadward-Edward- finally let me get up. I pulled up my knees and put my arms around them. "It's a long story." He responded. "We have to go to your father."

"My dad." I said skeptically. "I have-what happened?"

"They think you're in the hospital." Edward said. "That you are severely injured."

It was only then I noticed where we were. We were in between a van…and my truck. It formed a little triangle.

Edward noticed me looking. "I'll explain later." He said urgently. "We have to go now."

He roughly pulled me up before taking me into his arms like I was his bride. He ran. And it was pretty damn fast.

* * *

><p>We stopped in front of the house. Cha-Dad came out, loading a gun. He took one look at Edward. "They're here, aren't they?" Edward nodded. "Damn." My father swore. He looked at me. "Edward, take her to safety. I don't care if you have to go to the North Pole, just take her somewhere safe. Take Jacob too." He added.<p>

"Wait, Jacob Black?" I asked.

Of course, no one listened to me. "Yes sir. Carlisle's ready when you are." Edward told my father. Dad glanced at me. "Don't worry sir." Edward added. "She's safe with me."

Dad nodded in relief. He finally spoke to me. "Bella, you have to trust Edward. What he tells you may…well, scare you, but you have to trust him. You are not safe here."

I nodded. "Okay Dad." I swallowed the lump in my throat. Dad's never been around, but suddenly, I was scared I was never going to see him again. I gave him one last hug before jumping into my dad's truck.

* * *

><p>"You're driving over the speed limit." I listlessly told Edward. We'd gone back to his place. It looked normal, not too fancy. He'd gotten his car and we'd started driving.<p>

He glanced at me. "Bella, I need to tell you something."

"When is anyone going to tell me anything?" I said, frustrated. "I've been kidnapped-"

"Not really." Edward said, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Shut up!" I yelled. "I've been taken from my home against my will by a dude I barely know. I've also been told I'm in danger, and I have no clue what this danger is."

"Bella." Edward interrupted again.

"Shut up!" I screeched. "Shut up and listen to me. And if you're going to talk," I added as he opened his mouth, "It better about this supposed 'danger'." Edward closed his mouth. "I want to know where you're taking me." I said.

"To the reservation." He replied.

"Jacob lives in the town."

"No he doesn't. Not anymore. Not since-" He stopped. I swear, he was mentally cursing himself.

"Look." I said. "You're going to tell me what's going sooner or later. So why not sooner?"

He hesitated. "Fine." He finally said. "But you have to promise to believe me. Even if it seems scary and untrue."

"Deal." I said.

"I'm a vampire." He blurted out.

"I'm sorry…but what? I thought, when you meant 'untrue' that I was being chased by secret agents. Not…vampires."

"It's true. I'm 108 years old."

"Okay, so…theoretically, if you're telling the truth, how do you hide from your family? From the town? From the _world_?"

"It's…complicated." He replied.

I crossed my arms. "Try me."

He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "Okay." He exhaled. "There is a treaty. Between the Swans, the Quileute Indians…and my family."

"So your entire family converted to vampirism."

He sighed. "Can you agree not to interrupt me? This will be much faster if your promise not to interrupt me." I nodded stiffly. He sighed. "Good. The Quileute Indians aren't just Native Americans. They're werewolves. And…your family is human. The three races signed a treaty, about 80 years ago or so. We promised to protect each other in the case that one of our own tries to hurt the other race."

I gagged. "There are more of you?"

Edward nodded. "Yes. And don't interrupt! The treaty was signed by Carlisle, my father, and Thomas Swan, your great-grandfather. On the werewolves' side, they had Ephraim Black, Jacob's great-grandfather." He paused. "Jacob's grown up." He said, his voice laden with meaning.

I chocked. "He's one of…_them_?" I squeaked. As I said that, we pulled up to the reservation sign. "The La Push Reservation." I read. "Home to the Quileute Indians."

A familiar, muscular young man ran out from behind the sign. His skin was the color of caramel. "Charlie managed to get word to me." He said, jumping into the shotgun seat of the car. That's when I noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt. And then he noticed me. "Whoa, Bella?" He asked. "Wow. You've really grown up." It suddenly clicked where I'd seen him before. This _was_ Jacob.

"Hey." I said. "Um…so I heard you transformed."

"Yeah." He said proudly, puffing out his chest. "I'm new to the pack."

I looked at Edward. "So when are you going to tell me what kind of danger I'm in?" I asked.

He started the car, spitting gravel from the wheels. "We're in." He corrected.


	4. Chapter 4

We'd stopped in a motel. It was dark, and it was drizzling slightly. The person at the front asked for our names, her curious eyes roving over us.

"Miles, Nathan, and Becca." Edward lied smoothly. Why did he do everything smoothly?

"Here's your keys." She said, plopping them down. "Don't get any ideas." She warned.

As soon as we got into our room, Jacob bolted, saying he had to go to the bathroom. That left me and Deadward, sorry Edward, together. "Can I call you Ed?" I asked.

"No." He said grimly.

"Okay. So where do we come into this treaty. I get you, you were around at that time. But what about me and Jacob? Our parents weren't born yet."

Edward sighed. "Did you ever wonder why your mother left your father?"

"She hated Forks." I remembered. "She wanted to be free."

"She didn't just hate Forks." He said softly, meeting my eyes. "She found out that _you_ would be the next one."

"The next one?" I asked.

"The next human protector."

"So, you're telling me that I'm supposed to be this paranormal protector with superpowers?"

"No. You're human. You are the human component." Edward ran a hand through his hair. "The treaty was signed by all three races so that everyone would be protected. We're like the cops here. If one of our species threatens the balance, then we all work together to stop them."

"But I have a choice right? I don't have to do this if I don't want to."

"No." I hadn't noticed that Jacob had come in. For once he looked solemn. "None of us have a choice. It's signed in our blood. We have to do this."

I felt tears welling up in my eyes. "Isn't there a way out?"

"There is one." Jacob said hesitantly. "We have to find a replacement."

I blinked. "A what?"

"A replacement. Someone of your species that would be willing to take over the role of a protector."

"And we're in danger because?"

Jacob and Edward glanced at each other. "A few months ago, we started receiving reports of a trio of vampires going around and terrorizing the country."

"Wait, aren't you supposed to drink human blood?" I said, standing. I was not becoming chow for this vampire.

"Yes." Edward said patiently. "I am _supposed_ to. But The Volturi has since decreed, a few centuries ago, that the drinking of human blood is punishable by death. Instead, we are to drink animal blood."

"So why did you have a panic attack in class?" I asked.

"Because you're the next protector. You are with us. It makes it ten times easier for James to kill us."

"And who's James?"

"James is one of the vampires hunting us. He's the leader, and he calls the shots." Jacob smiled slightly. "He'd be a Republican in your politics. He wants the old order to restored, for vampires to drink human blood. The Volturi as well as we werewolves have been keeping an eye on him."

"So, this guy hates my guts and wants to kill me." I clarified.

"Yeah, pretty much." Jacob confirmed.

I threw myself down on a bed. "You two are sharing." I grumbled through the pillow. I could hear Jacob's groan. Edward didn't say anything, like usual.


	5. Chapter 5

When I woke up, the sun was shining through the window. "Shit." I muttered. I quickly brushed my teeth and threw on some clothes. I rushed to the dining area of the motel. Edward and Jacob were already there, discussing something. They both turned to me as I rushed in. Edward coolly appraised me. I flushed angrily.

"Have a problem?" He asked lightly.

"I know what yours is. OBCD." I grumbled angrily as Jacob snorted. I went to the food area and grabbed some scrambled eggs.

"What's the plan?" I asked, plopping down into a chair.

"We're going to visit Emily." Jacob said matter-of-factly.

"Who?" I asked, shoving the scrambled eggs into my mouth.

"Sam's imprint." Edward said smoothly. He smiled as he realized that I still didn't know what he was talking about. "Imprinting is when a werewolf telepathically connects with someone else. It's not rare, but it's not that common."

"Why?"

"7 billion people on the planet Earth. You can only imprint on one. You do the math." Edward replied.

"'Kay, let's go see this Emily chick." I said, shoving the last of the scrambled eggs into my mouth.

* * *

><p>Emily was a pretty young girl. We met her in her collage, USC.<p>

"Hey, Jacob!" She said happily, embracing him.

"How's it going?" He replied.

"Sorry about the mess." She apologized. "Most of it's my roommate's."

"Bet you miss the reservation now." Jacob grinned.

"Not really." Emily grinned back.

"What does Sam say?" Edward cut into their friendly banter.

Emily concentrated for a moment. "He says that there's some stuff going on. A lot of people are getting turned. He thinks James is behind it."

"Why would James turn a bunch of people?" I asked.

"To create a vampire army to take down the Volturi." Edward replied without glancing at me. "I'll get a message to Aro. I think Demetri might be in the city."

"Actually it's Jane." Emily corrected.

Jacob swore. "Why her?" He moaned.

"What's wrong with Jane?"

"Don't get fooled by the name." Jacob grumbled. "It may be plain, but she's terrifying."

"She can make you feel pain." Edward explained. "A bit like Crucio from Harry Potter."

"Either way, if you want to get a message to the Volturi, you have to talk to her." Emily said. "She's the only one here."

"Wait." I realized something. "Shouldn't you be in flames?"

"Nah. See, all vampires sparkle." Jacob said, snickering.

"You…_glitter_?" I asked disbelievingly.

"I am able to control it so that it does not become a problem." Was Edward's reaction.

"Right. So, where is Jane anyways?" I asked.

"She should near Malibu." Emily said.

"Great, let's go." Jacob replied, bounding out of the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Let me start off by saying Jane is terrifying. I've heard her brother is even more terrifying, but right now, we're talking about Jane. Jacob's pretty sure the reason I'm so terrified of her is because I didn't realize vampires had special abilities.

I didn't even know Edward could read minds! Now I have to screen my thoughts every time he's near me. But his ability is nothing compared to Jane's. She can create pain, which is really scary once you've met her. Not that I've cleared up some stuff about Jane, let's talk about how I met her.

* * *

><p>We followed Emily's advice and found Jane. She was standing motionless as she observed the rays of the setting sun from her place in the shadows. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Her voice was barely there, but it seemed to crawl all over my skin.<p>

"How fast can you get a message to Aro?" Edward asked her brusquely.

Jane turned to us and stared with her amber eyes. "Depends, how important is the message?" Her lip curled as she noticed Jacob. "Wonderful. You brought a dog."

"Jacob's not a dog." I burst out. Jane turned to me in surprise.

"You're a Swan, aren't you? Don't lie. I can see it in your eyes."

"So what?" I asked angrily.

Jane didn't say anything. She just turned to Edward. "What were you saying?"

"We have an idea for what James is doing. We think he's creating a vampire army. It's going to be spread out across the country so no one will be suspicious, but it will be huge."

Jane nodded. "I'll get a message to Aro." She suddenly whirled around to face the ocean. At the spot she was gazing at, a head suddenly appeared. I took a step back. The face kept coming, except now there were legs to go with it, and arms too.

The person laughed. "Jane. Always a pleasure."

"You're not welcome, Laurent. You betrayed the Volturi." Jane fixed her glare on him. All of a sudden, he started screaming. He writhed on the beach. "Where's James? If you tell me, I can stop the pain."

All of a sudden, I realized _she_ was the one doing this. _She _was the one making Laurent feel so much pain. "I don't know." He cried out in between screams. "He's always somewhere new." He moaned.

"Jane, I think that's all you're going to get out of him." Edward said quietly. Jane shot him a glare before letting Laurent go.

"The reason I'm not killing you is because I want you to carry a message back to James. Tell him that he will fall. And when we capture him, he will not be shown mercy." Jane told him coldly before making him wince in pain again.

"Is she…" I began.

"Yup." Jacob seemed pretty pissed. "Always like that. Calling me dog." He growled.

"Jane had a harsh life. She was an outcast when she human. She and her twin, Felix." Edward said in a monotone.

Jacob snorted. "If you think she's crazy, then you'll think Felix is the devil."

"So…what was this whole thing with her causing Laurent pain?" I asked.

Jacob turned to me and blinked. "We haven't told you?"

"Told me what?"

Jacob laughed. "Vampires have special abilities. Edward here can read minds." Ignoring my choking noise, he went on. "His sister, Alice, can see the future. His brother, Jasper, can feel and manipulate emotions. His other brother, Emmett, knows how to defeat you. His other sister, Rosalie, can um…persuade you into doing anything. His dad, Carlisle, can heal people. And his mom, Esme, knows how to comfort you."

Now it was my turn to be surprised. "So, you're saying that _every_ vampire has these abilities?"

"Yup." Jacob said. He turned to face Edward. "So, who're we going to meet next?"

Edward kept his eyes on the road. "Leah. She's with Demetri."

"I don't get how she likes him." Jacob grumbled.

I sat up. "Wait, wasn't Leah with Sam?"

Jacob looked at me again. Then he smacked his forehead. "I'm so used to Eddie here. He reads minds. You don't. Anyways, it's this gossip of the pack. So Leah tells Sam that he's not into her anymore, and Sam says he is. Then Leah tells him to be with her cousin and that she understands about the whole imprinting thing. Sam's all like, 'No, I love you!'. Then Leah told him to get his ass off of her property and to go be with her cousin. And then she kicked him out of her house. Sam got with Emily after a few threats from Leah, and Demetri drops by. Leah immediately starts talking to him and he's all like, yeah, I get you. Then _they_ get together and Sam's all pissed 'cause he thinks Leah broke up with him because of Demetri."

I stared at him. "And what's so bad about this Demetri guy?"

"He's a vampire. He also works for the Volturi. Demetri was sent to the La Push to find a partner for his reconnaissance mission. Surprise, surprise, he picks Leah. And I think they're in Louisiana right now."

"New Haven, Louisiana." Edward amended.

I sighed and burrowed into my seat. "This is going to be a long drive, isn't it?"


	7. Chapter 7

The drive to Louisiana was boring. We drove for about 2 days, stopping when I needed to go to the bathroom and eat. Edward hunted animals along the way. It was interesting at first. He would slowly stalk up to his prey, completely silent. Then he'd pounce, like a tiger. It got…well, not too good after a while, so I stayed in the car with Jacob.

Jacob was easier to get along with. He was happy and cheerful. He could also make snarky comments when he wanted too. Sometimes I found myself wishing Edward was more like Jacob. He'd be easier to get along with, anyways.

Finally, we arrived in Baton Rouge…just in time for Mardi Gras. The city was lighted, and it was beautiful…but it was also sinister. Like it was hiding secrets.

Jacob looked like he was thinking, as we sat in the car. "Where's Leah?" I asked irritably.

"Jacob's finding her." Edward said, still stopped at the red light.

"Come on! This has got to be the longest red light ever!" I moaned.

Jacob suddenly looked up. "I know where she is!" He said excitedly as the light turned green.

Edward moved the car forward.

"Don't you need instructions? Oh wait, telepathy. Forgot, sorry." I said.

"Yup." Jacob said. "Invasion of privacy!" He added.

"I do not wish to look inside your head." Edward said as he made a right.

"'Cause I'm so awesome."

"Because you are disgusting. Puberty minds are the worst." Edward pulled into the parking lot.

"They're here? Doesn't this scream, 'I'm a dangerous parking lot! Beware!'" I asked.

Jacob looked around at the rusty cars and what looked like a dead dog. "Not really."

We got out of the car. A girl suddenly appeared. "Hey." She said. She was pretty, I guess. The only thing that stood out was a scar on her face but…still. Pretty. A man appeared beside her. He nodded at Edward.

"Demetri." Edward greeted.

"Ah. Is this the new girl?"

"Don't be so rude." The girl, whom I am guessing is Leah, said, smacking the man on the head. "How's Emily?" She asked, turning to Jacob.

"She's fine."

"Good. I want it to stay that way."

"Sam's still pissed off at you."

Leah shrugged. "I can live with that."

"Of course you can." Jacob muttered. I looked at him quizzically.

"Anyways." I interrupted. "Why are we here?"

"James is moving. We've been rescuing vampires and sending them to Volterra. They'll be safe there." Demetri said, as if I hadn't spoken.

"We're looking for a specific one." Edward said, also ignoring me.

"Which one?"

"A girl. Her name is Bree. Bree Tanner."

Leah sighed. "Just missed her. She left with the last batch."

"Where are they headed?"

"Volterra. The Volturi's building an army. But you already knew that."

Edward nodded. "Where would she be right now?"

"On a plane." Leah replied.

"How many vampires are they turning?"

"About one a day."

"And how many days has this been going on?"

"As far as we can figure, a year."

"A year?" I asked in horror. "That's 360 vampires!

"We've managed to get about 300." Demetri said calmly.

"60 vampires?" Edward hissed.

"Mainly children. They replace them with other dead bodies."

"Children are the most dangerous."

"True." Was all Demetri had to say.

"So wait. Just to clarify, we're going up against a vampire army, right?"

"That is correct." Edward said, his eyes never leaving Demetri's.


	8. Chapter 8

As we were driving up to South Dakota, the truth started sinking in. I was going to have to kill teenagers. Teens, people my age, who didn't know what was going on. Perfect.

"We'll be able to defeat them though, right?" I asked. Edward and Jacob had one of their psychic conversations again. "How many times do I have to remind you that I'm not 'telepathic'?"

"Sorry, Bella." Jacob said. "It's just that…at first I was so sure we were going to defeat him…"

"And then?"

"James is tricky. He's an excellent strategist. He's still a formidable opponent, even with 60 vampires."

"Wait? Wouldn't someone notice?"

"James takes them from all over." Edward spoke for the first time. "He doesn't just take them from one city. That city is where they all train."

"Where do they hunt?"

"They're usually well-fed by the time they arrive in the city. Then they go out for two weeks to hunt. We grab them at irregular intervals, and not just there."

"What's so special about Louisiana?"

"We think they're going to Volterra by the sea."

"By a boat."

"No, Bella." Jacob came back in. "By walking underwater."

"That's a long trip." I commented.

"It'll be worth it. The Volturi would've been completely unprepared."

"Until you found out about it."

"Vampire politics are complex." Edward said as a way of explanation.

"Politics is complex. So is espionage." Jacob started banging on the dashboard with a song that came on the radio.

"Stop that." Edward snapped.

"Why? Is it bothering you?"

"You bother me."

"Quit it." I said. I suddenly remembered the name they asked for. "Why are we looking for Bree Tanner?"

"Carlisle thinks he remembers her. Like, she was his patient once or something. Either way, Carlisle wants to know how they're being brainwashed and stuff. I told Leah to send one to Forks." Jacob said.

"How's Leah doing? About the break-up?"

"Considering the circumstances? Sam being all pissy at her? Can't blame him though. Leah's…."

"Yeah." I said. "Where are we going again?"

"To South Dakota." Edward said.

"To meet Alice." Jacob clarified.


	9. Chapter 9

It was our third motel in 2 days. The first one, Edward didn't like because there were "scents" all over the place, whatever that meant. So we went to another one. Then we drove for a while through cows and pastures, finally ending up in the middle of nowhere that just so happened to have a motel. Convenient.

"So, we're halfway to…South Dakota?" I asked.

"Yup." Jacob replied. Edward warily looked out the window.

"So…" I said awkwardly. "Um…seen any good movies lately?"

"We've been on the run with you. You would know." Edward said, not moving.

"Why are you staring out of the window? You look like a creeper."

"He's paranoid." Jacob replied.

"Of course he is." That was when the window got smashed and I screamed.

A blur came in through the window and immediately tackled Edward. Edward turned into a blur too. I heard barking and turned to see Jacob in wolf form. He tackled the non-Edward blur. I started looking around for a weapon. A lamp. Perfect.

I heard the door smash open and turned to see Jacob fly out of the room through the door. The blur stabilized and I saw it was a vampire. Figures.

"I see you've learned." The vampire said. He didn't pay attention to me. I slowly started creeping up on him.

"I see you haven't." Edward replied.

Suddenly, I smashed the lamp against the intruder. It didn't do anything, but he turned to look at me. Edward took his cue and tore the vampire's head off.

Jacob bounded through the window and immediately turned back into a human. "What did I miss?" He asked.

I nodded at the vampire on the floor, panting. "Him."

Edward looked at all of us. "We need to move."


End file.
